Destruction by fire: Reconstructing the evidence of the 586 BCE Babylonian destruction in a monumental building in Jerusalem.

Evidence of fire is one of the most important features for identifying and characterizing destruction events. Analysis of microscopic remains of fire has developed exceedingly in recent years, enabling archaeologists to examine new questions relating to the intensity of destruction events and to the circumstances of the creation of destruction layers. One of the most crucial events in the history of the Southern Levant is the Babylonian destruction of Judah and its capital Jerusalem in 586 BCE, which shaped the biblical narrative and theology for generations to come. Building 100 was an extraordinarily large and rich elite building, thoroughly destroyed during the Babylonian campaign. This paper presents a study of the destruction layer excavated within the rooms of the building. FTIR spectrometry and archaeomagnetic analysis were combined in the micro-archaeological study of the remains in order to create a detailed reconstruction of the destruction event. This reconstruction sheds new light on how the Babylonian destruction was manifested in reality in the elite buildings of Jerusalem. • The paper reports the study of the destruction process of an elite building during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. • FTIR spectroscopy and Archaeomagnetism were combined to reconstruct the fire event. • Evidence of widespread fire throughout the structure suggests deliberate burning. • Detailed reconstruction shows lower exposure to heat in parts of the structure. • Criteria of FTIR spectroscopy signals for heating to low temperatures were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]